Moran, Florida PACE deserve criticism for controversial track record

Moran, PACE deserve criticism

Thank you for your coverage of the fight between state tax collectors and the Florida PACE Funding Agency – and particularly the actions of Sarasota County Commissioner Mike Moran, who also serves as PACE's highly paid executive director.

Florida PACE claims it can operate throughout the state without local oversight. However, Florida's Attorney General's Office criticized how PACE achieved that victory and suggested the agency had "pulled a fast one."

Moran has consistently used his authority to pull "fast ones" on the people he is supposed to serve.

As a county commissioner, Moran has defunded highly respected programs doing the work that Sarasota residents support – such as providing early childhood education and keeping people in their homes – and he has tried to direct taxpayer dollars to organizations near and dear to his heart.

It's time to retire Moran from public service since he has not demonstrated a willingness to serve the interests of his constituents.

Felice Schulaner, Sarasota

Project 2025 should scare Americans

I’m writing because I get the feeling that most Americans are unaware of Project 2025 and its infiltration into our democracy.

Quite frankly, I am scared of this movement, which views itself as "Christian Supremacist" and appears to be operating within the Heritage Foundation. It is not a "Christian" movement; it is an extremist one that is attempting to transform U.S. culture and politics through authoritarianism.

Its mission is to dominate and take control of our society – including our government, religion, media, business, education, family, arts and entertainment.

It is also targeting our education system, minority groups and local governments.

It is the greatest threat to U.S. democracy, and it is already a powerful, wealthy and influential movement.

The scariest part is that so few people are aware of this, and it is possible that there won’t be the necessary resistance in our local communities to truly oppose its infiltration and put a stop to it.

Melinda Schell, Venice

Invest in ombudsman program for elderly

The Older Americans Act was created in 1965 to establish the principle that aging well is a right, not a privilege. The Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program is its premier program, providing oversight for residents of assisted living and other long-term care facilities, including researching complaints and resolving grievances.

Although it is a federal program, the LTCOP is administered, operated and funded by the states.

I was a volunteer with the program in Virginia and I know what a difference it can make in improving care. I visited an assisted-living facility every other week, investigated problems and wrote reports on any issues that I found.

Florida has the second largest senior population in the country, according to the Florida State Plan on Aging. In Virginia, there are about 300 nursing homes, while Florida has over 600, and the states are similar in size.

It’s not a surprise that Florida ranked No. 36 in the country for health care in 2022.

It’s very discouraging to look at the 2024-25 budget signed by the governor and see little funding for our senior population. Elected officials need to align themselves with the voters, rather than their party.

We need more money for nursing homes, rehab facilities and the LTCOP, so it can accomplish its goals.

Sally Coler, Sarasota

Opinions belong on Opinion page

On the front page of the Gulf Coast news section July 7, the Herald-Tribune ran an article titled “New laws make DeSantis’ Florida less safe, less free,” by USA Today journalist Nate Monroe. The story is labeled “Commentary.”

Why I do not disagree with many of the points made in this article, I wonder why it is in a news section? It is a fine article for the Opinion page. 

Readers want both relevant news and thoughtful opinions in order to be both informed and educated. We go to the news sections to get informed on what is happening and to the Opinion section to be educated.

I was glad when The New York Times realized that one of the reasons for its decline in subscriptions was the practice of putting “News Analysis” and “Commentary” on the front page and scattered throughout the other sections. 

Now the NYT’s excellent opinion pieces are only in the opinion section.

Their editors have placed their commitment to journalistic professionalism above their campaign to get readers to align with their personal political beliefs, something for Herald-Tribune editors to emulate.

Christopher Langholz, Sarasota

Nov. 5, 2024: The day democracy dies?

As a voter, I am deeply concerned about the upcoming election.

So much is on the line: The economy, the environment, rules and laws, the possibility of world war.

If “the other guy” should win, I believe a future writer will describe this event, titling his book, “The Day Democracy Died.”

Dr. Bernard Phillips, Sarasota

Supreme Court turns presidents into kings

How does it feel to be a “subject” and no longer a “citizen”?

Nearly 250 years after we declared our independence from the English crown, we are back to living in a kingdom. Our president, like King George III, now has “absolute immunity” from criminal prosecution for crimes committed as part of his official acts.

Thank you, Supreme Court, for scrapping an idea that we always thought was crucial to our democracy: that no citizen, even our president, is above the law.

Daniel Rein, Sarasota

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This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Moran, Florida PACE deserve criticism for dubious track record